Blatter receives election boost from Warner

By Andrew Warshaw

May 4 – FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has confirmed that his CONCACAF Confederation will not officially announce which candidate they are supporting for the FIFA Presidency on June 1 until just before the election.

CONCACAF had been widely expected to endorse Sepp Blatter’s manifesto at its Congress in Miami yesterday but refrained from doing so when Mohamed Bin Hammam, the other Presidential candidate, failed to secure a visa in time.

In his closing speech at the Congress, Warner revealed he had already spoken to Blatter during the recent under-20 qualifying tournament in Guatamala where they had a full and frank discussion.

“Among other things, I told him about our grievances, as a Confederation, over the years,” Warner, CONCACAF’s President, told delegates before confirming that the confederation would wait until they have talked to Bin Hammam as well before taking an official stance.

Bin Hammam, very much the outsider in terms of CONCACAF support, has been invited to a specially arranged meeting in Warner’s native Trinidad next week to stake his claim for the Confederation’s backing.

“Both [FIFA Presidential] candidates were invited here today to address us but alas the other candidate was unable to obtain a US visa and cannot be with us today and has therefore organised a meeting on May 10 in Port of Spain, Trinidad when he expects to address us,” said Warner.

“We, as a Confederation always practise fair play and therefore we shall listen to the other candidate then and, following that we shall meet in caucus and come back to you at our Congress in Zurich…a Congress where I have specifically invited President Blatter to address us.”

Warner’s speech was couched in diplomacy but it gave more than a broad hint that meeting Bin Hammam in Trinidad was more out of courtesy than any likelihood the Qatari could persuade CONCACAF to vote for him instead of Blatter.

“Our strength over the last 20 years is what we as Confederation always vote as a bloc and this shall not change,” said Warner.

“It is informative to note, however, that at our Guatemala meeting, like we did in 2002, I did advise President Blatter that we need not canvass in CONCACAF but instead to do so in other areas where his efforts will be more greatly needed.

“I repeat that advice to him here again today.”

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